Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Wednesday that "climate change occurs no matter what," but that the EPA's recent efforts to reduce emissions from existing power plants are "outside of the confines of the law," and "an excuse to grow government, raise taxes and slow down economic growth."

Speaking at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington, Rep. Ryan said that he would argue that the "federal government, with all its tax and regulatory schemes" can't do anything about climate change. He said that what climate regulations "end up doing is making the U.S. economy less competitive."

Oh, unclench, Amanda. This is pretty low on the whackadoodle conspiracy scale. That quote taken on its own is pretty damned common. Bone-headed and wrong, but common. Ryan's probably not even thinking of the levels of collusion necessary to pull that off. He's simply droning on about the big bad government that he works for and hopes to one day run.

It's hard to take serious an article that starts out with a quote from Paul Ryan acknowledging climate change, but then proceeds to presume to lecture its reader on the abhorrent nature of climate change denialist.

Diogenes:Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Wednesday that "climate change occurs no matter what," but that the EPA's recent efforts to reduce emissions from existing power plants are "outside of the confines of the law," and "an excuse to grow government, raise taxes and slow down economic growth."

Speaking at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington, Rep. Ryan said that he would argue that the "federal government, with all its tax and regulatory schemes" can't do anything about climate change. He said that what climate regulations "end up doing is making the U.S. economy less competitive."

Oh, unclench, Amanda. This is pretty low on the whackadoodle conspiracy scale. That quote taken on its own is pretty damned common. Bone-headed and wrong, but common. Ryan's probably not even thinking of the levels of collusion necessary to pull that off. He's simply droning on about the big bad government that he works for and hopes to one day run.

"The widespread belief in the climate change conspiracy theory is possibly the best evidence of all time that people often believe shiat because they want to, even if giving it a moment's thought-just half a moment, really-would show you that you have to have a brain made of dryer lint and boogers to think that your theory makes any sense at all."

Most global warming alarmists really believe it is happening. They see it because they want to see it.

The reason they advance the global warming agenda is because the they can use the excuse of global warming and its dire consequences to expand government and accumulate power. Its a power grab. And the power grab is from people who sympathize with the communist movement. They hate corporations, private markets, wall street, capitalism. They have figured out they can use the excuse of global warming to enact laws that stifle corporations, banks, capitalism. Then they can basically use the excuse of saving the environment as the end-run to wealth distribution. Like cap and trade. Cap and trade punishes companies for their energy use through fines. More energy use, higher fines. the money that is then extracted in fines is redistributed to either the communists now in power or the poor or both - whatever they decide and can get away with. Its an old fashioned take from the rich to give to the poor. under the guise of saving the environment.

most of the people involved think global warming is real - like the scientists who fall all over themselves to write papers trying to prove its real. but there are a small group of people at the top of the pyramid pulling the strings.

SlothB77:most of the people involved think global warming is real - like the scientists who fall all over themselves to write papers trying to prove its real. but there are a small group of people at the top of the pyramid pulling the strings.

SlothB77:Most global warming alarmists really believe it is happening. They see it because they want to see it.

The reason they advance the global warming agenda is because the they can use the excuse of global warming and its dire consequences to expand government and accumulate power. Its a power grab. And the power grab is from people who sympathize with the communist movement. They hate corporations, private markets, wall street, capitalism. They have figured out they can use the excuse of global warming to enact laws that stifle corporations, banks, capitalism. Then they can basically use the excuse of saving the environment as the end-run to wealth distribution. Like cap and trade. Cap and trade punishes companies for their energy use through fines. More energy use, higher fines. the money that is then extracted in fines is redistributed to either the communists now in power or the poor or both - whatever they decide and can get away with. Its an old fashioned take from the rich to give to the poor. under the guise of saving the environment.

most of the people involved think global warming is real - like the scientists who fall all over themselves to write papers trying to prove its real. but there are a small group of people at the top of the pyramid pulling the strings.

Boys and girls, let this post be a reminder of the importance of remembering to take your prescription medication.

OTOH, it jibes with lowest of the low info deniers who can't wrap their collective heads around the idea of natural climate change as it occurred in cycles prior to the industrial age of man being different from the impact man has had over a relatively short period of time.

OTOH, it can also seem to mean that Ryan recognizes the above but has graduated to the next level of denialism which is basically, it's here, it's happening, man is responsible but it is too expensive to pursue solutions and besides it will make us less competitive.

He's wrong, of course, no matter what interpretation you want to throw on that.

The only real take-away here for me is that entire speech was about politics not science or reality.

The people who fund and promote denialism, the big energy concerns, are a massive lobby in DC and the GOP have been their voice for years now.

Shostie:Diogenes: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Wednesday that "climate change occurs no matter what," but that the EPA's recent efforts to reduce emissions from existing power plants are "outside of the confines of the law," and "an excuse to grow government, raise taxes and slow down economic growth."

Speaking at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington, Rep. Ryan said that he would argue that the "federal government, with all its tax and regulatory schemes" can't do anything about climate change. He said that what climate regulations "end up doing is making the U.S. economy less competitive."

Oh, unclench, Amanda. This is pretty low on the whackadoodle conspiracy scale. That quote taken on its own is pretty damned common. Bone-headed and wrong, but common. Ryan's probably not even thinking of the levels of collusion necessary to pull that off. He's simply droning on about the big bad government that he works for and hopes to one day run.

2) Whatever happens happens, screw it, I don't live on a coastline like all you liberals do

3) Let china choke in its own fumes if it wants to, you don't see them lowering their emissions so why should we cripple our own businesses any more than we already do

And one I'll throw in there that does seem fairly reasonable and likely:

- Pretty soon carbon burning cars will be a thing of the past, if we allow electric cars to compete they will soon start winning (they are already winning on the coasts where people have more money). Once that happens carbon emissions will start to drop naturally, as the overwhelming number one contributor to carbon emissions in First World nations is automobile exhaust caused by commuters.

Generation_D:- Pretty soon carbon burning cars will be a thing of the past, if we allow electric cars to compete they will soon start winning (they are already winning on the coasts where people have more money). Once that happens carbon emissions will start to drop naturally, as the overwhelming number one contributor to carbon emissions in First World nations is automobile exhaust caused by commuters.

The argument "What if it's a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing!" is perfectly illustrative of the herbal teabagger thought-process: "Who cares if it costs billions of dollars in revenue to chase after a solution to a non-existant problem? It's not like it's our money."

but that the EPA's recent efforts to reduce emissions from existing power plants are "outside of the confines of the law,"

begging the question

and "an excuse to grow government, raise taxes and slow down economic growth."

appeal to fear, slippery slope

Speaking at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington, Rep. Ryan said that he would argue that the "federal government, with all its tax and regulatory schemes" can't do anything about climate change.

black and white thinking, ad hominem

He said that what climate regulations "end up doing is making the U.S. economy less competitive."

This rich have been planning their exodus from Earth for decades. Don't believe the lies, Mars is quite habitable and there are many housing developments there already. The rest of us will be left here to burn, drown and starve.

Wow, it's almost like there could be various reasons for climate change when examined over a 500,000 year span of a planet's history!

Damn those contemporary scientists for trying to figure out why it's happening this time.

[www.skeptic.com image 500x280]It's like the graph he posted left out the current levels!

/prediction: we're boned

Did you hear about the "boreholes" in Siberia. Initial investigations indicate that they were probably formed by the massive release of methane as the permafrost melted (but no, they aren't sure how they formed).

Diogenes:Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Wednesday that "climate change occurs no matter what," but that the EPA's recent efforts to reduce emissions from existing power plants are "outside of the confines of the law," and "an excuse to grow government, raise taxes and slow down economic growth."

Speaking at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington, Rep. Ryan said that he would argue that the "federal government, with all its tax and regulatory schemes" can't do anything about climate change. He said that what climate regulations "end up doing is making the U.S. economy less competitive."

Oh, unclench, Amanda. This is pretty low on the whackadoodle conspiracy scale. That quote taken on its own is pretty damned common. Bone-headed and wrong, but common. Ryan's probably not even thinking of the levels of collusion necessary to pull that off. He's simply droning on about the big bad government that he works for and hopes to one day run.

What other conclusion could you come to when he says that "Climate change happens no matter what" and that the efforts to control it are "an excuse to grow government, raise taxes and slow down economic growth."?

He pretty well stating that climate change is not influenced by carbon emissions and that the whole issue is a conspiracy to slow down economic growth and increase that good fer nuthn gummit.

This is Alex Jones level conspiracy nuttiness, and should be called out for what it is.

Bith Set Me Up:The Republican Party: Making the same arguments about alternative energy since the 70s, the same arguments about LGBT people since the 80s, and the same arguments about global warming since the 90s.

Laobaojun:I see the willfully ignorant fuqstick brigade has their underpants on their heads and are ready to stand up against the tyranny of Big Science.

It would be sad to see people so willing to be wrong on every single issue of their day, generation after generation, if they weren't sucks willfully ignorant fuqsticks.

Diogenes:Oh, unclench, Amanda. This is pretty low on the whackadoodle conspiracy scale. That quote taken on its own is pretty damned common. Bone-headed and wrong, but common. Ryan's probably not even thinking of the levels of collusion necessary to pull that off. He's simply droning on about the big bad government that he works for and hopes to one day run.

this!

Alex Jones thinks contrails are making people beleive in climate change, which is a myth spread by the CIA to cover up the moon landing hoax.

Lucky LaRue:It's hard to take serious an article that starts out with a quote from Paul Ryan acknowledging climate change, but then proceeds to presume to lecture its reader on the abhorrent nature of climate change denialist.

Hey Lucky,

You are the LAST person who should be in a climate change thread... really... I know they have you signed up to shill climate threads but you really need to go talk to your handler and ask him to pull your name from the rotation.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Wednesday that "climate change occurs no matter what," but that the EPA's recent efforts to reduce emissions from existing power plants are "outside of the confines of the law," and "an excuse to grow government, raise taxes and slow down economic growth."

Can someone who is either from the Derp Brigade, or who understands their language, explain this one to me? I can understand the accusation that liberals like government. If they like government, they want more of it. If they want more government, they need more tax dollars to fund it. But why would they want to slow economic growth, if growth leads to more tax dollars and then more government?

I know it's just part of the derpmongering. But seriously, do people fall for that rhetoric? It's one thing to say that Democratic policies cause slow economic growth (even if they don't) but to claim that slowing growth is the goal is insane.

Rapmaster2000:An interesting thing about conservatives is their fear that everything is a plot to control them. It makes you wonder what they consider to the primary motivator of people.

Spoiler alert: it's power.

You are on to something. I'm pretty sure that psychologists and neuroscientists have been on this too. Conservatism reflects a view of hierarchical, non-random universe. Despite the rhetoric that individuals may rise and fall on their own merits, the conservative actually believes that institutions control their advancement, happiness, freedom, etc. To some extent that's obviously true, but the belief in an ordered universe means that if they feel themselves somehow "wronged" by an institution (they almost always pick government, and not family, community or church) they seek to shrink and re-shape that institution into a form they feel they can control.

So, you can tell how powerless a conservative feels by how small they claim to want government.

Heliovdrake:Lucky LaRue: It's hard to take serious an article that starts out with a quote from Paul Ryan acknowledging climate change, but then proceeds to presume to lecture its reader on the abhorrent nature of climate change denialist.

Hey Lucky,

You are the LAST person who should be in a climate change thread... really... I know they have you signed up to shill climate threads but you really need to go talk to your handler and ask him to pull your name from the rotation.

Heliovdrake:Lucky LaRue: It's hard to take serious an article that starts out with a quote from Paul Ryan acknowledging climate change, but then proceeds to presume to lecture its reader on the abhorrent nature of climate change denialist.

Hey Lucky,

You are the LAST person who should be in a climate change thread... really... I know they have you signed up to shill climate threads but you really need to go talk to your handler and ask him to pull your name from the rotation.